While I was a huge fan of the Digimon franchise as a kid, I didn’t have a huge interest in what the IP originally spun off of: Tamagotchi. I was definitely in the minority, seeing as over 40 million pocket devices with little digital pets sold worldwide during the height of its crazy. In about two years, they went from being a huge craze to a mellowed-out fad, but the fandom has persisted. Now, we get a chance to visit these little guys and gals in their world with Tamagotchi Plaza, reviewed here for the Nintendo Switch 2.

In Tamahiko Town, you arrive to help shops run by cute Tamagotchi to boost their reputation. 12 shops are included in the base game for Nintendo Switch, but the version I played, made specially for the Nintendo Switch 2, actually features 15. If that sounds low, don’t worry. You can meet over 100 Tamagotchi in Tamahiko Town. The appeal and fun factor comes from helping each shopkeeper with their task, service, or production to help connect to the Tamagotchi who come in to shop, dine, or get their teeth cleaned. Yes, even Tamagotchi go to the dentist.

In the Nintendo Switch 2 version, it is worth noting that the Sushi Shop and Shuriken Shop utilize mouse controls, making this the first time I’ve actually tried the method out with the Joy-Con 2. It’s a fun novelty that worked really well for me, but I did feel like the actual minigames themselves weren’t fully making use of everything the Joy-Con 2 had to offer. That’s unfortunately a theme with Tamagotchi Plaza. The world is cute, the characters are adorable, but the actual gameplay while you spend time with them isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

For starters, I almost couldn’t believe that each minigame where you support a shop to appease customers doesn’t begin with a tutorial. You just have to give it your best and, in my case, fail a few times, until you understand how things work. Getting better at the minigames to the point where you’re really boosting the shop’s reputation takes time as well. This means you’re sort of frustrated with the one task you have in this game from the start. Not a great first impression.

When it comes to a game like this, where minigames drive the fun, there are just too many examples of titles that do it better. The mouse controls in the Tamagotchi Plaza Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive shops just made me excited for the eventual WarioWare game that takes advantage of the Joy-Con 2 and its mouse mode. Not to mention, while meeting the new Tamagotchi is a lot of fun, there’s not as much interaction or depth to your ability to spend time with these town folk that I’d like.

I hope nobody picking this game up thinks it offers deeper gameplay than it does. To be fair, I don’t feel like the marketing misleads players. I just think for the price tag of $39.99, you’re probably going to find a more engaging experience elsewhere, even if it’s working through some older cozy games you haven’t purchased or played yet.

Tamagotchi fans will likely love the novelty of being in a world with their long-time friends, but for the rest of us, there’s just not too much here to hold onto in terms of any reason to return to Tamahiko Town after a brief visit. Let us know in the comments if you plan to check out Tamagotchi Plaza for the Nintendo Switch 2.

A Nintendo Switch 2 review copy of Tamagotchi Plaza was provided by BANDAI NAMCO for this review.

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Tamagotchi Plaza

39.99
5.5

Score

5.5/10

Pros

  • Cute characters from a beloved cultural fad
  • A charming town, even if it's sort of empty

Cons

  • Minigames are not taught to you
  • Not much to do outside of the same minigames over and over
  • Just a bit lackluster all around

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